Anne's Dream
by Lyrical-Lyre
Summary: One night, Anne Shirley has a terrifying dream. One-shot.


Anne's Dream

Anne Shirley stood outside her small window, staring at the beautiful Snow Queen, its white branches moving ever so slightly to the rhythm of the wind. Dusk had fallen into Green Gables earlier about six or seven minutes ago and she had watched the enthralling ball of sunshine disappear behind the amethyst-orange horizon, a blanket of starry darkness taking its place. It was as if some large shadowy hand had extinguished the very life of day itself, forcing it to become night.

She lifted the latch to her window, lifting the window up and stuck her hand out brushing against the creamy ashen branches that so stood the great Snow Queen.

"Oh Snow Queen, how lovely it is to be here with you again. How are you today? I'm afraid I don't think of you often nowadays. And it is all mostly to the fault of that insolent Gilbert Blythe! Why, how dare he insult me! How dare he try and make it seem alright by a candy heart which he so likely put it on my table to spite me! Oh, Snow Queen, how I love thee with all my heart."

She hugged a branch that hung closest to the window sill. Presently Marilla came into the room and exclaimed when she saw the red-headed girl had her window open at _December!_ Did that girl have any sense? And here she was whispering away to a tree with such silly romantic musings!

"Anne Shirley! Get into bed at once and close that darn window! You'll catch cold."

The former sighed dramatically, closing the window with a loud _clink, _and slipped into the warm, comfortable bed, sitting up.

Marilla stood at the doorway, hands on her narrow hips. "Now say your prayers."

Anne cleared her throat loudly, clasped her hands together and launched into her prayer:

"Gracious heavenly Father,

I hope with all my heart and soul for a good time this year at Green Gables. I hope to not get into _any _scrapes but somehow I always do, but oh, I hope I won't get into many scrapes at least. The birds are singing and the wind is sighing and making me think if it is an omen my wish will come true and I hope it is. I hope to at least get my red hair a darker colour and I wish people wouldn't stoop so low as to call me Anne without an 'e' like Mr Phillips did.

Yours respectfully,

Anne Shirley

P.S; With an 'e'."

She closed her eyes at the end and said 'Amen' and slipped under the covers of the warm quilts. Marilla went to the kitchen after that and there she met Matthew, smoking his cigar and reading last week's paper.

She sighed softly. "That Anne is as nonsensical as ever, that's what. When will she ever grow out of it?"

-

Anne lay in bed for a long, long time what seemed like forever before drowsiness overtook her troubled mind and whisked her away to dreams of her imagination.

_In her dream, she was walking onto the woods of Avonlea, staring at the tree and shrubs she had been acquainted with ever since she began her stay at Green Gables. She waved her arms and twirled around the beauty of the place. Laughing merrily, she danced further in the woods only to see a shadowy figure not far in front of her. _

_Her arms went back to its sides and presently she began walking towards said figure that was now drawing further and further away into darker shadows._

"_Wait!"_

_She hurried along, nearly tripping over leaves and branches that covered the forest floor. The figure was moving fast; she could barely see him or her through the darkness of the forest, just a thin outline. She closed her eyes and blindly plunged further into the woods, having a brief thought if she should visit Diana on this early morning. _

_Crash._

_She looked up to see who she crashed into. And what she saw was absolutely terrifying that sent her shaking down to her very boots._

_A child stood there. Not any child, the murdered child of Idlewild, the one she and Diana created for the Haunted Woods. Under the dim light from the unearthly hour of the morning, with its eyeless sockets with a substance that looked suspiciously like blood dripping from therein and slowly on the forest floor and its body, transparent and ghostly-looking, he stretched out a thin white hand to the terrified Anne._

Anne screamed - not in her dream but out loud- and she woke up with a cold sweat, running down her face and heart pumping wildly. She stared at the Snow Queen which looked so beautiful and none at all frightening, now looked like a an gnarled hand with sharp, sharp talons ready to break the glass of her window and snatch her up, taking her to the ghost child.

-

Marilla, upon hearing Anne's terrified scream immediately set her cup of coffee down so hard on the table, it spilled a little making a small puddle. She rushed into Anne's room saying, "Anne! What's the matter?"

Anne's face was pure white as she clutched the blankets around her. Her frightened grey eyes swivelled around to face Marilla. She impulsively jumped off the bed and clutched Marilla tight. "Oh Marilla, I had a fright of a dream. And to think for the dream to be from my imaginings! That makes it ever so worse, Marilla. It's like he is hunting me because I created him! Oh, Marilla, I don't think I want to ever sleep again for the time being."

Marilla pulled Anne away from her. "Good gracious child! _You_ gave me a fright! I thought someone had come in to take you away! What was the dream that made you scream like that?"

"Marilla! Someone_ might _have taken me away! The murdered child of Idlewild Diana and I created, oh, and I followed him so into the Haunted Woods, only I didn't know it was him - just a shadowy figure, you know. When I came upon him, he was even scarier than I could have imagined! Blood dripping from where his eyes should be; and I just _know _that his hand would be icy-cold!"

"It serves you right for imagining such a thing in the first place," said Marilla unsympathetically.

Anne sighed. "I can't sleep again, Marilla."

"Then sleep when you feel like sleeping." was Marilla's reply as she stalked out of the room.


End file.
